Relativity Space abandons first 3D-printed rocket for bigger, more powerful Terran R
Terran 1, Relativity Space's first 3D-printed, methane-fueled rocket, is being retired weeks after the company's first launch from Florida in favor of a larger, more powerful version.
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Relativity Space, developer of the world's first 3D-printed rocket that launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station last month, announced this week the debut mission would be the last for Terran 1.
Instead of continuing to further develop the rocket after its mostly successful first flight, Relativity said the 110-foot Terran 1 will be retired in favor of the larger, more powerful Terran R, which will allow the company to better compete and fly larger satellites like those handled by SpaceX's Falcon 9 and United Launch Alliance's upcoming Vulcan.
Terran 1, 85% 3D-printed by mass, flew a largely successful first mission last month. It cleared the pad and reached stage separation, but the second stage wasn't able to achieve orbit due to engine performance. Despite that, Relativity said the mission named "Good Luck, Have Fun" was able to achieve the company's core goals.
Based on plans that were already in place and customer feedback (the company has over $1 billion in secured launch contracts), Relativity said it made more sense to continue preparing for Terran R. That means a larger pad and hangar at Launch Complex 16 plus other infrastructure changes needed to support the new rocket.
Relativity's Terran R plan
Rocket launch schedule:Upcoming Florida launches and landings
In a statement this week, Relativity said the shift to Terran R will help meet a significant growth in demand for launching commercial and government missions.
While the primary focus of the smaller Terran 1 rocket was to prove the capability of 3D-printed rockets and refine manufacturing, Terran R will be the medium-to-heavy lift workhorse designed to fully deliver customer payloads to orbit. Steering development toward a larger rocket that can serve more customers was not an unexpected move for the California-based startup.
Tim Ellis, Relativity's co-founder and chief executive, said in a Twitter post last month: "The goal is to provide our customers with confidence in us and our abilities, especially with $1.65 billion in customer launch contracts already signed overwhelmingly for our larger reusable rocket Terran R, and billions more in our pipeline."
His comment suggests that the shift from Terran 1 after just one launch was at least partially driven by customer demand and feedback.
"As a customer-focused launch services company, we aren’t truly in charge of defining success. Our customers will really be our deciding jury," Ellis said. "Medium-heavy lift is clearly where the biggest market opportunity is for the remaining decade, with a massive launch shortage in this payload class underway."
Terran R overhaul at Cape Canaveral
First launch:Relativity launches world's first 3D-printed rocket from Florida, surpasses objectives
Also laid out in Wednesday's announcement were overhauled and beefed-up specifications for Terran R, which Relativity originally announced in 2021 as a fully reusable two-stage rocket.
Initially planned to stand about 217 feet tall and powered by seven Relativity-developed, 3D-printed Aeon engines, the company said Terran R will now be powered by 13 Aeon engines and, standing at 270 feet tall, will overshadow a SpaceX Falcon 9 by about 50 feet. It will also stand about 70 feet higher than ULA's Vulcan.
A configurable, reusable version will be capable of delivering 51,000 pounds to low-Earth orbit with the first-stage booster designed to land and be collected for later reuse. Heavier customer payloads, up to a maximum of 73,000 pounds, will require a fully expendable version of Terran R, which will sink to the Atlantic Ocean floor shortly after liftoff.
Something that isn't changing: Terran R's launch site.
No earlier than 2026, Relativity anticipates launching Terran R from Launch Complex 16, the same pad that hosted the Terran 1's first and only orbital launch attempt. That means a larger hangar to support horizontal integration with customer payloads; a larger launch pad with taller lightning suppression towers; more propellant processing capabilities; and generally upgrading all infrastructure to handle the much larger rocket.
First and only Terran 1 launch
Relativity's inaugural mission last month did not feature customer payloads but did create a dramatic blue exhaust as the methane-fueled engines propelled the small rocket over the Atlantic.
Just after stage separation, the second-stage engine failed to ignite and reach full power, leaving the vehicle incapable of reaching orbit.
Even though the "Good Luck, Have Fun" mission ended prematurely, Relativity demonstrated many industry firsts. Terran 1 became the first 3D-printed, methane-fueled rocket to launch, survived Max Q (the period of highest aerodynamic stress), and continued its ascent through main engine cutoff and stage separation.
"The journey to Terran 1's launch demonstrated our ability to design, analyze, develop, complete qualification, acceptance, and certification programs, and ultimately fly an orbital class 3D printed rocket into space," Relativity said.
"The experience, learnings, proof points, and data gathered during this program are a major step toward development of our large reusable rocket, Terran R."
Contact Jamie Groh at JGroh@floridatoday.com and follow her on Twitter at @AlteredJamie.
Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @EmreKelly.
